European Trade Union Report Urges New Heat Rules for 130 Million Workers

The European Trade Union Institute presented a report on Thursday that calls for new European Union legislation to address heat risks in workplaces. The document states that around 130 million workers across Europe face heat stress, leading to 277,000 injuries and 230 deaths each year.

An EU-OSHA survey from 2025 found that one in five workers in the EU had been exposed to extreme heat at work in the prior 12 months.

Andreas Flouris, professor of physiology at the University of Thessaly and co-author of the report, said the optimum temperature for work is 16°C. Beyond that point, productivity falls by an average of 2 percent for each additional degree Celsius. Flouris noted that productivity losses during heatwaves reach 20 to 25 percent in southern Europe, 8 to 14 percent in central Europe, and 3 to 6 percent in Scandinavia over a full year.

He added that the highest increases in accidents are now occurring in central and northern Europe. Marouane Laabbas-el-Guennouni, a researcher at the European Trade Union Institute and co-author, said the report recommends a mandatory heat risk assessment that requires employers to identify exposure risks.

The authors also propose using an index that incorporates humidity and wind speed rather than temperature alone.

The researchers described heatwaves as measurable and preventable through targeted rules.